Orange Blossoms
by theatregirl94
Summary: Angela arrives in town and soon discovers she's fallen for an engaged man. Trying to deny her 'goodness at heart' she attempts to break up the couple... but soon realizes she wasn't the only one ripping the seams of the 'supposed to be' marriage.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Just an FYI... This is an alternating POV story written by Dear Marley and myself. I'll be writing Angela's point of view and she'll be writing Chase's.

* * *

Chapter One (Angela's Point of View)

The boat had come to a halt at the Waffle Town dock. Its only dock. The city I had just commuted from had several docks. But, this town, being small, only had one. Maybe it being small was a good thing. Maybe living in a small town would be a good change of pace for me. My mother told me it would. Who knows, maybe my mother was actually right for a change. That, in itself, would be enough to satisfy me.

The polite boat captain, Cpt. Pascal, as his name tag read, helped me gather my bags. He asked me where to take them, but I insisted on carrying them myself. Independence was a good thing to have. You weren't always asking people for things.

"Well, I hope you find whatever you were looking for here," he tipped his hat.

Find what I was looking for? Yeah, right. Sure, I'd put on the front that I was this 'happy-happy-joy-joy' brunette to avoid delving deep into my past. Definetely not something I'd want to do, especially if I decided not to stay.

I walked up to the nearest street sign and read "To Town Hall" and decided that should be my first stop. Maybe the mayor was there, the man running this 'free farming' thing that was explained in a flyer my mother gave me.

"Try it, I think you'll like farming. It'll get all this mess off your mind." she said.

I acted like it was really a great thing just so she wouldn't badger me twenty-four/seven about farming. And, I had decided that moving off would be a chance for me to get away from her. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. Love her to death. But sometimes, when bad things happen to me or to the whole family? She's really overbearing.

I entered the well built facility labeled 'Town Hall' to find a young brunette girl and a tow-headed boy, both about my age, working behind the front desk. They looked a bit shocked to see me. Probably shocked to see a new face. The town wasn't exactly booming with newcomers, as far as I could tell.

"Hello, I'm Elli! I'm the clerk here at the Town Hall... May I ask your name?" she eagerly asked.

"I'm Angela. Nice to meet you. I'm here to join the farming project," I answered, confidently.

The blonde spoke up, "You need to see my father then. The name's Gill, I'm the mayor's son."

He motioned back with his thumb. A graying man probably in his late 50s was sitting at his desk. Looking a bit worried. I had no idea about what, though.

"He'll be surprised to see someone that's interested in the farming thing," I heard Elli mutter.

Gill nodded and led me to the small desk in the back of the lobby of the building. The man looked up only after Gill tapped him on the shoulder.

"Father, here's someone that's interesting in your farming project," was all he said before heading back to the front desk.

"Oh, my... You're actually interested? I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to take me up on the offer..." the man stood up, "My name's Hamilton."

"So, Mayor Hamilton, you're telling me that I'm the first one that's wanted to do this?" I wondered, kind of confused.

"Yes. Turns out, farming's not as popular as I thought... So, all you've got to do is pick out which plot of land you'd like and then we'll have it built. And I'll put up your board at the Inn," he practically jumped with joy.

I nodded and followed him over to the front desk. He looked through a drawer to find a slightly faded map of what seemed to be "The Caramel River District", according to the map. It had three highlighted plots. But the one I wanted was the one closest to town. It'd be closer to shops. Definetely a good thing.

"I'd like the plot closest to town, please?" I almost asked.

"Of course, Your house should be ready in a week. I'll go with you to rent a room at the Inn," Hamilton smiled.

So off we headed to the Inn. It seemed like a cute little place. The features definetely had that nostalgia charm. I looked around the interior as Hamilton went to the desk to get my room key. As I was looking around, I saw a nice looking strawberry blonde, he seemed to be around my age. He was in the kitchen cooking. He glanced at me once, and I noticed then I was staring at him, so I immediately diverted my gaze to the other side of the room. Before I knew it, Hamilton had arrived with my room key and wished me well. I started up the stairs, sparing one last passing glance to the young man in the kitchen before I could no longer catch sight of him anymore.

His face looked a bit confused when he caught me staring at him.

It seemed funny, but seeing him kind of livened up my actual mood that I was hiding from everyone, for risk of being labeled a stick in the mud this early on. It kind of made me feel like a giddy school girl, something I had never exactly been. I quieted my feelings down a bit, as all I really felt like doing was showering and plopping down on a soft bed to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Chase! Oh, Chaaaaase?" the unmistakable chirpy voice rang from the stairs. I'd known Maya since we were small. Her voice never did change. "Come on, take a break, let's talk wedding arrangements~!"

"Not now, Maya. I'm cooking." How dare she even think to interrupt something as vital as hand-whipping egg whites. What if the peaks turned out too stiff? She should know how that can ruin a dish.

"But Chase!" she whined. That miserable whine always felt like it was going to make my ears fall off. Without looking, I could tell it was accompanied by the woeful puppy-dog eyes, a weapon of hers so powerful, it deserved to be banned by the Geneva convention. "You promised, this afternoon, we'd pick out flowers!"

Did I? Or did I just say that yesterday to shut her up? I didn't remember making such a promise. But then again, I did come down here early for a reason... then promptly forgotten what it was, probably because I didn't care... "Orange," I replied.

"What?"

"I want orange blossoms," I clarified. It couldn't be a difficult request, could it?

"But orange blossoms are so small, and they don't look good in wedding decorations."

Neither did Maya, but you didn't see me complaining. "They smell nice."

"Who's going to be smelling them? I think we should go with gardenias. They're nice and big, and they're white, and they smell so good!"

"They'll clash with the orange blossoms," I argued. "The two smells don't go together." Look at me, a man, arguing about which flowers smell good together. What was I doing? Where was my pride? "You know what, if it makes you happy, pick whatever flowers you want. I really don't care."

"Okay, then, we'll nix the orange blossoms, and we'll order gardenias and... pink carnations. I like the white and pink, it makes me think of Valentine's. You know, maybe we should wait, and have a Valentine's wedding. Oh, but I'm wearing a short dress..." I tuned her out and returned to my egg whites, absorbing my own thoughts for a change.

The wedding was in two weeks. I thought it was a bit sudden, but Maya insisted. I felt like I needed time to think about it. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go through with it. In fact, I almost turned down her proposal, but I changed my mind as she was sobbing and storming out of the room.

When we told the family, everyone was thrilled. Jake and Colleen were so happy to be seeing their daughter get married. Yolanda said she'd always seen me as a grandson. And Maya was almost crying with joy. She said she loved me, and she couldn't imagine life without me.

Did I love her?

...

Of course I did.

"Chase? Cha-ase! HEY, CHASE!" Maya yelled. I jolted awake from my reverie and formed peaks in the egg whites with my whisk. Stiff as boards. How long was I zoned out?

"I told you, Maya, I'm cooking. I don't care about flowers."

"Flowers?" I heard a small, unfamiliar mumble. A lyrical mumble, one that sounded like it belonged to someone kind and gentle. Or maybe it was just that it wasn't Maya's high-strung chirp.

"We're done with that. Come over here and introduce yourself to the new girl!"

New girl? Oh. The girl who stayed here last night. I wasn't even quite sure what she looked like; I'd only gotten a quick glance at her before she went upstairs. "Can it wait? I've got to put the meringues in the oven."

"But you were making cake," Maya pointed out.

"Well, that's a lost cause," I remarked, spooning globs of sugary egg whites onto a piece of wax paper.

"Well, fine. It's all tasty and sweet. You wait here. I'm going to go, er... freshen up a bit." Maya went upstairs. She must have been talking to the new girl.

The girl moved over to the bar as soon as Maya was out of sight. "So..." she started. Her voice was refreshing. "Your name is Chase?"

"Yep," I said.

"Well, I'm Angela."

"Pleasure."

"So..." Angela drummed her fingers on the bar. "How do you know Maya?"

"She's my cooking teacher's granddaughter." Oh, right! "And we're engaged."

"Oh... really? You two don't even seem to get along."

"No, we do... it's just... well, she was badgering me about picking flowers for the wedding today, and..." Why was I telling her this? "No, it's silly. Forget it."

"Oh, no, keep going."

"Well, I wanted orange blossoms, but she wanted big flowers that don't smell good with orange blossoms. And, well, she's calling the shots, so..."

"Ah, I see." A silence hung in the room like an unpleasant smell, like the smell of the kitchen after Maya had been puttering around. "I like orange blossoms," she wistfully remarked. "They smell sweet, and I think they're cute. A flower doesn't have to be big to be pretty."

"Angela, there you are!" Maya's chirp came from the stairs. "I apologize for my fiancée. He's a bit cold before you get to know him... and after you get to know him..."

"Oh, it's okay... he's, uh..." she stuttered. I glanced over and saw that she was blushing a bit. "Nice," she finished. "He's nice."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three (Angela's POV)

He just had to be engaged, didn't he? I couldn't believe it. And I had lost him to a hyperactive, bossy blonde like her? But that was my critical side. Maya was probably a really nice girl. I had only heard one story of her and Chase, after all, right? It couldn't hurt to spy a little later on to see how they were actually doing… But wouldn't that be wrong? Spying on people, I mean… Something I had always hated was for someone to spy on me… And doing that myself would make me a hypocrite. Something no one likes… I inspected the bathroom mirror I had been standing in front of while thinking of all these different things, mostly focusing on my reflection.

My chestnut hair practically did whatever it wanted to, no brand of hairspray would tame it. My frail structure made it look like I hadn't eaten a thing in weeks. I had no figure. Instead of the curvy 'hourglass' I was more like a 'pole', no curve dared compliment my figure. Frankly though, it was okay with me. Looks had never been something I had been obsessed over. It wasn't worth it.

I looked out the window which showed it was twilight now. I could go down to the bar and see Chase again, or I could just go to sleep and save myself the possible embarrassment. But if I didn't take the chance, I would be letting Chase slip through my fingers. Who was I kidding, though? How could I deliberately attempt to break a couple up? Worse than that… A couple that was engaged to be married… But, it wouldn't hurt to just talk to him, would it? And I could talk to other people there, so it wouldn't seem like I was there just to see him. It was a bit of a dirty thing to do, but it would silence the part of me that wanted them to break off the engagement.

So I freshened up a bit and headed down the upstairs hallway to the stairs that would lead me to the lobby. I sort of crept down, to not seem overanxious. And sure enough, Chase was still working, but it seemed a different blonde was also working alongside Maya. I didn't really know, but I decided to introduce myself, so I walked over to her.

But before I opened my mouth, she squealed, "Oh, you must be the new girl! Welcome! My name's Kathy. I help serve drinks and meals here sometimes."

"Nice to meet you, the name's Angela," I smiled, pleasantly enough.

"I was thinking of having dinner… What do you recommend?" I asked.

"The best thing on the menu is the fried chicken. Chase has a lot of experience cooking it… It's kind of a usual dinner for the people around these parts." she answered confidently.

"Give me that, then, please," I told her.

While she quickly went to the kitchen to deliver the order, I found a table near the bar that separated the small, but first rate, kitchen from the rest of the large room and sat down. Maya seemed to be underfoot to Chase all the time, never moving very far from him unless she had to wait on a customer. It was like she was afraid some girl would come and steal him away in five minutes. But if he truly loved her, why would she be so distrustful of him? It didn't make sense.

Kathy soon came back, "I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask you what you wanted to drink…"

"Oh, that's okay… I think I'll have water," I told her.

"Sure thing," she said as she quickly turned to go to the kitchen.

I looked around. Sitting by myself was a bit boring… So I headed to the bar to sit down. Maybe if Maya would leave Chase alone for five seconds, I could have a pleasant conversation with him. But unless he found some impossible task for her, she would never leave him for more than a few minutes. I decided sitting there listening to Maya squeal about one thing or another would be better than sitting at a table alone.

Kathy did a double take as she started back to the table I was at, but quickly noticed I had changed seats. She smiled and brought me the water I had asked for. She cleared her throat when she left the spot I was at, and Chase's eyes darted to spot me. He finished frying the chicken that was in the pan and set it on a plate with a baked potato as he said something to Maya. She immediately took off, not angrily, but as if she were in a bit of a rush. I had no idea what he had told her. He smiled as he brought the dish to me.

"Nice to see you again, Angela," he said as he effortlessly slid the dish in front of me.

"Nice to see you… Chase…" I was a bit shocked at how cordial he was to me, even though we had only talked once.

"I take it Kathy told you that's my best dish?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I took a bite of the chicken and swallowed, "This is really good! Did you go to culinary school?"

"Nah. My parents didn't have the money, and didn't support my wanting to become a cook anyway. So I left and came here. One of my friends told me they had a great aunt here who could cook really well… So he called his aunt and she agreed to teach me. Ms. Yolanda has been a very good teacher. That's her over there," he pointed to the short, pink headed lady that stood by the gentleman that was working the front desk for the inn.

"It's sad when someone's parents don't support them… But you seem to be doing pretty good," I said.

"So how about you? What's your story?" he asked.

Chase had just asked me the one question I had been awaiting but didn't want to answer. But he had just told me about himself. It would only be fair for me to share my past with him.

So I spoke up, "Back home, things got rough. My father died a couple of months ago, and then I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me… I was just depressed, so my mother attempted to help me by spending a ton of time with me. I ended up blowing my top at her for no real reason at all every time we would attempt to spend time together. So eventually, she told me about this town and its farming program. And to be honest, I didn't want to go… but I knew she would badger me 'til I came, so here I am."

Chase sighed, "Tough world, isn't it? Parents that don't support their kids, death of a loved one, and being engaged to someone you don't…" he stopped himself, "I'm sorry… I must be taking up a lot of your time…"

I noticed he said engaged. When were we talking about being engaged? We were on the subject of our life stories. Something told me something was wrong. I didn't know quite what, without jumping to conclusions. And the way I had thought of attempting to make him break his engagement with Maya made me feel kind of bad.

"No, no. It's really been nice to talk to someone about this… that is besides my mother… Thanks," I said, looking into the empty plate that I had cleared while we were talking.

"Really? I don't get to talk so seriously with Maya. She doesn't understand such matters, so she avoids them…" he looked toward the door.

I realized why he looked at the door when I heard the high pitched squeal that belonged to Maya, "Chase, I found the spice. Mr. Simon let me in the store to get it…"

Chase sighed and I quietly said, "Good night. Maybe we'll talk again."

He nodded and once again was forced to deal with Maya. I quickly got up and found Kathy to pay her, as I didn't want to wait and feel like an intruder with Maya hanging on Chase. I found her and gave her the money and headed up the stairs to my room. I needed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

"Good night. Maybe we'll talk again," Angela half-whispered. My eyes were on her as she paid Kathy for the food and disappeared up the stairs. "Hey, Chase!" Kathy alerted me. "Order for Trout Meuniere at table six. Get your head in the game. You seem a little off tonight."

I ignored her comment. "I'll get right on that meuniere." I whipped out the necessary utensils and ingredients. Trout Meuniere. Easy dish. Fairly popular dish. Didn't have to think much about it. I started to batter the fish and got lost in my thoughts. What had I just done? I'd just waffled on and on about my past to a girl I'd known for two days, that's what I'd done. What else did I say...? I hardly remembered what I had said. I tried replaying the conversation in my head as I dropped the trout in the frying pan.

_"And to be honest, I didn't want to go… but I knew she would badger me 'til I came, so here I am."  
"Tough world, isn't it? Parents that don't support their kids, death of a loved one, and being engaged to someone you don't…"_

Being engaged to someone I don't... trust? Someone I don't want to be seen with? Someone I don't like to talk to?

Someone I don't love.

No, no. That couldn't be right. I wouldn't believe it. We were getting married! Of course I loved Maya! Otherwise I wouldn't have accepted her proposal! Right?

"Chase? CHASE!" the squeaky chirp rang. "What are you doing?! You're burning the fish!"

"What?" I looked down at my fish. The batter coating had turned black and smoke had started trailing up from the sides. "Oh, man..." I muttered.

"Honey, are you okay? You've been a little spacey lately. Do you want to talk about something?" She touched me on the shoulder.

Talk to her? Ohhh, no. I had no desire. But... maybe I needed it. I was over having serious talks with girls I just met. Shouldn't I be able to do that with my fiancée? "Uh, sure. We... we can talk." I put down the spatula I was going to use to flip the trout and signaled to Kathy. She came over from the table she was waiting on. "Kathy, can you handle a trout meuniere?" She nodded. "Thanks so much."  
Maya and I left the kitchen and sat down at a table. "So, what's on your mind?" she started. "Ever since this morning, you've been completely off. What's up?"

"That's... that's a good question." The truth was, I didn't even know. Ever since I started talking to Angela, I'd been thinking a lot. But I didn't even know what I was thinking about. Either I was going senile at the tender age of twenty-one, or it was worth blocking out of my memory.  
"Well, it's your mind, isn't it? You should know what's going on in there!" She smiled a cutesy smile and knocked on my head.

I smiled back at her. "It's probably nothing," I assured her. "I should get back to work." I stood back up, kissed her on the cheek, and started to walk toward the kitchen.

Maya grabbed my wrist. "Come on, Chase!" I sat back down. "We're engaged. We're gonna be married in two weeks! You've got to be able to talk to me."

I sighed. "I guess you're right. I..." What was I going to tell her? That it was all since Angela moved in? Was Maya the jealous type? I didn't even know! But I wasn't going to risk it.

"It's not me, is it?" she interrupted. "Did I do something? Was it something I said?"  
"No, no," I reassured her. "It's just--"

"You're nervous about the wedding, aren't you?"

Yeah, that worked. I suppose, in a way, I was... but that couldn't be all. "I guess I am..."

"Oh, Chase... it's okay. Everyone gets nervous before their wedding... at least, I assume. I'm nervous." She tightened her grip on my wrist. "But I know it'll be okay."

"How do you know?"

She smiled, closing her eyes. "Because I love you. That, I'm sure of."

"I suppose you're right..." I said. And she was. She loved me.

"See? You can talk to me. Come talk to me any time you want." She got up, bent down, and kissed my left cheek. "I love you," she whispered into my ear. I reached up and half-heartedly half-hugged her with my left arm. I opened my mouth to say it back.

Nothing came out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

I plopped down on my bed after putting on pajamas, minutes after rattling off about my past to a guy that I barely knew. Sure, I knew about his past and why he was here… but… I put my face in my hands. I felt like an utter fool for talking like that to a guy I met… what? Yesterday? And to make matters worse, he was engaged. For some reason I couldn't get it through my thick skull that I had no chance at a relationship with Chase. Perhaps it was because I was still disappointed about being cheated on by my last boyfriend and Chase was the nearest guy around? No, that wasn't it… It didn't feel like I was just using Chase to make myself feel better… It was like… Like I had just met Mr. Right? I sighed and tried to dismiss the matter. There was no way Chase could be Mr. Right… Could he? Or did I even believe in a Mr. Right?

I wanted to think more about the subject, but my tired body wouldn't let me. My eyes soon closed shut and I was dead to the world. Before I knew what had happened, I awoke to the sound of an alarm clock that I must've set. Apparently for eight o'clock in the morning. Despite the fact I could've used a few more hours of sleep, I got up anyway and showered and did my usual morning routine. After all that, I decided it'd be nice to eat breakfast. So I quickly headed down the stairs. The scent of a well cooked breakfast infested the lobby. Chase sure could cook.

As I arrived in the lobby, I looked around warily, to make sure the restaurant was open. The large clock on the wall near the front desk read 9:25, so I assumed they had to be open. That, and the fact Maya was already talking to customers at tables.

"Angela, would you like some breakfast?" he asked, sounding quite happy to see me.

"Sure. It's exactly what I came down here for," I answered, as he headed back to the kitchen.

I walked to the bar to grab a seat. The thing I kept telling myself was that there was no crime in talking to Chase. It was called being friendly, not being a marriage wrecker. The only thing left to do was fully convince myself that Chase and I were just friends, and not actually 'interested' in each other. But something kept me from saying it. My darn conscience that wouldn't let me lie to myself.

"So did you sleep well?" Chase asked as I sat down.

"Yes. I think I sleep better here in Waffle Town than I ever did back home…" I looked on as he started cooking eggs and bacon.

"The same with me. Before I came here, I used to have bouts with insomnia…" he said as he turned the stove eye up a notch, "I don't now. It's kind of odd…"

I spoke up, "Maybe it's because we're away from what was worrying us."

He chuckled, "For me, it's only some of the things that worry me… I still have things here that…"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well, a lot of things worry me here… I…" he was about to elaborate when Maya arrived at the bar with an order.

"Chase! You have another order!" she placed the ticket on the bar and quickly rushed to his side and put her arms around him and said, "He's such a sweetie once you get to know him, right?"

Chase squirmed to get out of her grip, "Maya, you're going to get burned by grease that's popping up if you don't stop doing that!"

Her eyes looked hurt, "What's wrong? I thought you liked it when I do that…"

Chase sighed, "You have another customer…"

I couldn't believe he was being friendlier to me than he was his own fiancé. He was actually treating her rude. Maybe they had a fight. Or maybe Chase was actually trying to keep her from getting burned…

"Are you and her fighting or something?" I bluntly asked.

His cheeks reddened, "With Maya, you have to be like that… She expects to get her way unless you're completely rude…"

I could tell he wasn't telling the whole truth, but I changed the subject, "So is there anything to do around here?"

"Mostly people go to the beach to swim or fish… Or they might take a hike in the woods," he answered, "But besides that, there's not much to do…"

"I see… I might try to take a hike later on…" I said.

He finished my breakfast and put it on a plate, "You know, it's not safe to hike alone in the woods."

"I'm independent. I'll be fine," I answered as he slid the plate in front of me.

"Oh, you are, are you?" he chuckled as I took a bit of food.

I swallowed and said, "It's easier to be independent. You aren't always asking people for things."

"Just the same, I'd feel better if you found someone to go hiking with if you choose to go."

I laughed, "Like who? You're the only person I've really talked to. And I'm sure gossip spreads in a small town like this. So taking you along isn't an option. Plus, you have to work…"

He looked toward the bar, "I can take off."

I swallowed another bite of my breakfast, "Chase, you don't actually want to go hiking with a girl you've only known a few days, do you?"

He took the slip of paper Maya had put on the bar a few minutes ago and started on the order, "Why wouldn't I?"

"For one, you're engaged to Maya. I figured if you wanted to go on a hike, you'd go with her…" I said and continued eating after.

"So I can't have friends that are girls because I'm engaged to Maya?" he smiled cunningly as he put the ingredients in the heated frying pan.

"So you really want to go, huh?" I laughed.

"It'd be a change of scenery. I'll take off at eleven. It's ten-thirty now… So if you'll stick around for that long, I'll go hiking with you," he said, continuing his cooking.

"I give. You can come with me. At least I'll have someone to talk to," I said sarcastically.

He laughed as he continued cooking. I finished up the breakfast he'd cooked for me and went to the front desk to pay for it. I waited around in silence at the bar until eleven, when Chase announced to the woman at the desk that he'd be taking off for the rest of the day. She allowed him, even though she looked quite confused when he joined me to walk out. To be honest, I was confused myself. And the reality of what had just happened hadn't quite registered with me. Perhaps this was okay, as long as he was just going as a friend that wanted to look out for a friend. On the surface, the whole thing sounded as innocent as possible. But the more I thought it over in my head, it felt like Chase was almost cheating on Maya. And I was the dirt bag that was causing him to cheat on her. But then again, that could just be all in my head.

Couldn't it?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

There was something to this. There had to be. Every time I was with Angela, all the things that were on my mind seemed to spill out of my mouth like some kind of demented spittake of words. But when my own fiancé tried to squeeze my thoughts out of me, there were none to spare. In the spirit of discovery and sheer masochism, I had to find out just what it was.

So here I was. Going for a hike in the woods with a relative stranger. But Angela never felt like a stranger... she felt like a friend. At least, I think. I didn't have much experience with friendship.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" she said. "Moist and dank, and yet... so fresh."

"Yeah..." I mumbled, kicking a small rock off the path. I'd forgotten I wore open-toed sandals; the rock crushed my toe. I said nothing. It's shameful for a man to complain about a little smashed toe in front of a girl. "It's nice to get out of the inn once in a while."

"I can imagine," she said. "Cooking all day, confined in that little space, not to mention having Maya hang all over you..." I gave her a quizzical look, even though she was completely right. Being around Maya all the time _was_ a chore. "Oh, uh, I didn't mean to say she was annoying..." She stumbled over her words like a nervous schoolgirl.

I played it cool and shrugged. "It's not like I don't get sick of her. Frankly, I don't see how anyone could possibly not get sick of her..."

"Well, you're marrying her, right?"

Maybe. "Yeah."

"That's eternity. You'll come home to her every evening. You'll sleep next to her every night. You'll wake up next to her every morning. Doesn't that scare you?"

"It scares the heck out of me," I said. And that was the truth.

That was the truth...

I was doing it again and I didn't even know how it happened. "I mean, well, I'm nervous, but everyone gets nervous before their wedding, right?" I said, directly quoting Maya's reassurance. It wasn't so much for Angela as it was for me; I was the one who needed to hear it.

"I suppose I would be, too, if I were marrying Maya," she admitted.

"I don't know if Mayor Hamilton would let you," I joked. She giggled.

And then the woods fell silent. All the sound was the patting of our footsteps and the whirs and buzzes of insects. "Say, Chase," she piped up. I swiveled my head to look at her. She was blushing, averting her eyes.  
"Yeah?"

"Do you, uh... do you believe in soulmates?"

Now it seemed she was just _trying_ to squeeze my thoughts out of me. "What do you mean?"

She started fidgeting with her hands. "Like, the whole idea that there's one person out there for everyone and there's some more divine component to love... that kind of thing."

I paused for a moment, fiddling with the waist-tie on my apron. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just something I was thinking about last night... I mean, if it's all true it's a bit of a tedious affair." She looked up into the trees. "If you don't want to talk about it, we can change the subject. Really, it's fine."

Well, it was a little strange of her to ask... but strangely enough, I felt like talking about it. Maybe this was it; maybe it was just the subjects she brought up that made me want to talk. "No, that's okay." Another short silence. "I don't, by the way."

"You don't?"

"No, of course not. There are seven billion people in the world, and so many are so madly in love. If there were one true match for each person, that would be statistically unsound."

"Well, maybe they could all be happier with someone else. Maybe they're all just settling with whoever was nearby and convenient. Like my mom and dad... they used to fight all the time, but they kept saying they loved each other, all the way up until Dad died. I don't know who they thought they were fooling, but... I hope it wasn't themselves."

Okay, now she was trying to get something out of me. "I'll bet it was," I said.

"How do you fig-- OH my God, Chase!" she interrupted herself. She stopped walking.

"What?" I asked, halting along with her.

"What happened to your foot?" She sounded hysterical.

Now that she brought it up, I noticed it was still in pain. "Oh, I kicked a rock earlier... why, is it worse than-- oh, wow," I said, looking at my toe. It was purple and swollen, and the nail was sticking out at an angle at which toenails should never stick out. "That's disgusting."

"How can you just stand there and talk so calmly?!" she yelled. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Yep," I admitted. "Nothing major, though. Come on, let's keep going." I attempted to keep walking, even though every step felt like hammers smashing my toe. All I could hope was that it wasn't making me limp.

"You look yourself in the toes and say that!" she squealed. "At least let me look at it. I've got a splint in my pack."

"Oh, alright," I said, sitting down on the path. She followed suit and started poking at my toe. "Ow!" I shouted.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" she said, lightly squeezing my toe.

"Yes!"

"How about this?" She twisted it a little.

"Aah!"

She touched it as lightly as she could and gave me a deadpan stare.

"Ow!"

"Well, I think it's broken," she said. "Luckily, it didn't break the skin. Now this is going to hurt, but I'm going to have to move your toe to put it in the splint." I braced myself as she took out a little metal sheet lined with foam and a gauze strip. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

So how was I going to explain this one? "It's... ah, I guess it's a pride thing." With the truth, of course. "It was early on in the walk. I-- OW!"

"Sorry."

"I didn't want you to think I was a pansy, or an idiot for kicking a rock in sandals in the first place..."

"Well, you're an idiot for not saying anything in the first place. If you had, we could've iced it and it wouldn't be nearly as swollen." She tightened the last tie on the gauze strip. "There, it's done. You shouldn't walk on that too much; I think we should head back."

"But I've got time off until six, and it's only one," I said, peeking at my watch. "We've only been away for a couple of hours. I don't want you to cut your walk short just 'cause my toe's a little messed up."

She turned around and started walking back. I followed. "Don't worry about me, I've got plenty of things to do."

"Like what?"

"Uhh... well, I could... go meet some other people." I stopped myself before I could reject the idea. What should I care? She's a person; people like companionship. "You can occupy yourself for a while, can't you? Stay at home, read a book, go fishing in Maple Lake... just stay off that foot as much as you can."

"You don't want to spend the rest of the afternoon with me?" I asked. It seemed odd, she'd be fine bringing up weird conversation topics one second and not even wanting to hang out the next. "Look, if I said anything that made you uncomfortable..."

"No, no, that's not it at all. If anything, I made myself uncomfortable. It's just, well... with you being engaged, and all... it just feels awkward. And slimy. Er... metaphorically."

So that's what it was about? "Angela, we're friends. I know it, you know it, Maya knows it. There's nothing slimy about friendship." I half-smiled at her.

"Yeah... I guess..." she said, her face lowering with her tone.

"That didn't sound too convincing. You should work on that."

"Yeah!" she said emphatically. "How's that?"

"As long as you believe it," I said, reaching over to tousle her hair.

"Ah, hey!" she said, mocking dejection. "You messed up my hair."

I did. Oh, god, I really did. I messed up her hair, as a gesture of friendly teasing. When did I become such a friendly softie? And without even trying? Being with Angela just felt so natural, like I'd known her all my life. "Well," she piped up. "Is there anything slimy about a hug goodbye?"

"Goodbye? But we've only been walking back for about ten minutes."

"We took a shortcut,"

"Guess I haven't been paying attention." We were already in the entrance to the woods. I could see the mining district. How did I not notice we were almost home already.  
"Guess not," she said. We kept walking, and before I knew it we were at my house. "So?" She edged herself in front of me.

"I suppose there's nothing slimy about a hug, no..."

"Yay!" She smiled and wrapped her arms around me.

There's something to this. There has to be.

And I still don't know what it is.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

After I hugged Chase, we went our separate ways. I needed to meet some new people. And besides, it wasn't healthy to hang out with an engaged man I had met just a couple days ago. And I couldn't take the awkward feeling I had brought upon myself by asking such personal questions. What was I thinking? _Do you believe in soul mates? _That just screamed, "Chase, I think I'm in love with you."

And with that, I knew I didn't just like Chase as a friend. No doubt about it. He was the guy I had fallen for. But if I told him, he would think I was a scummy dirt bag who wanted to break up his engagement. On the other hand, if I didn't tell him, I would spend the rest of my life in regret. Regret for never speaking out. But if I told him, that would also make him think I was a complete moron. I had barely known him for three days, and here I was… Practically head over heels for him… It made me feel incompetent and fickle, like I was some young teenage girl who thinks she's in love with the new guy at school on the first day. Most girls probably wouldn't feel as I do about such a matter… But I'm not those other girls…

I needed some time to think things through. Get my head put on straight. Sort through fact and assumption. Maybe that would help me get over him. Maybe sorting through my thoughts would help me realize Chase was just a friend…? No. Lying to myself would be the worst thing I could do. I kept contemplating these thoughts as I walked toward the Inn, unknowingly. I heard two very angry voices penetrate my deep thoughts that had remained completely uninterrupted until now. One voice was Chase's and the other was Maya's. I hid behind some shrubbery that was at the side of the inn.

"You were in the woods _alone_ with her? If you're not guilty of something, why didn't you invite me along or at least tell me where you were going?" Maya screeched.

"Because… It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing. And I didn't want to have to drag her along to hunt you down to let you know. You stepped out for a minute when we left… I had no idea where you were…" Chase fired back, but not as violently as Maya.

Maya retorted, "What a lame excuse! How could you do this to me?!"

"Maya, I did nothing to you to harm or disgrace you! If you can't believe me or even trust me, then why the heck are we getting married?" Chase asked.

"Chase! How could you say such a thing to your fiancé? I love you! Would you really trade my love for that cheap tramp?" I wanted to leap out from behind the bushes so Maya could say that to my face, but I retained my cover.

"Angela is NOT cheap, and she definitely isn't a tramp! You barely even know her! How could you make such an assumption of a person? And why? Because you're jealous?" Chase was furious now.

"I most certainly am not jealous of such a girl! And she is a tramp for trying to hit on an engaged man!" Maya said.

"She never hit on me!... If anything… I… Maya, I'm going to the doctor's office. I stubbed my toe on a rock and I need to get it checked out… If you'll excuse me…" he walked right past the infuriated blonde.

I wiped the burning tears from my eyes. Chase had just risked his marriage to defend me. I waited until I was sure Maya had left the front of the inn to stand up. I brushed off my clothes which had become contaminated with bits of grass. The feeling of having Chase stand up for me was so empowering, I felt as if I could've ran a marathon. Even though I'm not a great runner… I headed toward the entrance of the inn, but changed my mind. I instead headed toward the building with the red cross sign beside it. I wanted to see if Chase was alright.

I entered the light green building to find a tranquil, white room. An older woman was standing at the front desk. I assumed she was a nurse.

"Hello, can you tell me if Chase has been by here yet?" I asked.

The older woman looked confused, "Why do you want to see him?"

"I was with him when he stumped his toe… And I was wondering how he was doing…" I answered.

She raised an eyebrow, "You do know he's engaged?"

"Yes, ma'am. I know. We're just friends…" I said, trying to remain polite.

"Very well… He's in the examination room right there. It was just his foot, so I'm assuming he looks presentable for a lady to be in the room," she pointed to the room that was right beside the lobby.

"Thank you," I said as I headed through the doorway.

I looked in to see that the doctor was feeling Chases foot. Chase looked up as I entered the room. He smiled. I made an attempt to smile myself, but it wasn't going very well… He noticed my somewhat regretful and melancholy face. The doctor looked up, and gave me the same confused look I had been given by many people.

"Doctor, can I speak to Angela alone for a minute?" Chase asked as tears welled up in my eyes.

The doctor nodded as he exited the room. I sighed as I took a seat and wiped the wet beads that had begun to drip from my eyes. I sat there, trying to gather my thoughts. Trying to decide exactly what I wanted to say. Or whether I would just chicken out. Maybe chickening out at this point wouldn't be a bad thing to do… Maybe I should really make sure I felt so strongly about Chase before turning our whole relationship upside down and possibly ruining it. That seemed to be the best idea.

"What's wrong, Angela?" he asked.

"Nothing… I… I heard you defending me to Maya… I didn't mean to spy or anything… But I did, and I'm sorry for that… but thank you…" I smiled.

"Oh… You heard that, huh? Well, she was attacking you. And I know you could never be a tramp. If anyone's the tramp it'd be m…" he stopped.

I veered off the subject of being a tramp, "It just means so much to me because I've never had someone so sure of me… so sure of my character and merit that they were willing to argue with someone that they should've just sided with… I figured you'd take Maya's side…"

Chase answered, "And be wrong? Now, you know I'm never wrong," he chuckled as he motioned for me to come over, "Angela, you are the only person I've ever been able to truly talk to. I know that seems odd, but it's the truth…"

He put his arms around me and I put mine around him. I had no shame, either. How could I have shame for loving someone? Was it not true that humans had that tendency? It was a simple hug. Not a kiss or anything else. A simple hug to symbolize how close we had gotten in the past few days.

At least that was what I kept telling myself.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

"Thank you," I told Angela as we unwrapped ourselves from each other.

"For what?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"For everything," I said. "And I mean that."

"What do you mean?"

"I have had so much that I've needed to talk about, and I never actually realized it until you moved in," I said. "I, uh... I'm lucky to have you around." She looked at me the way a cow looks at an oncoming train: completely shocked, unable to move. I managed a little smile. "And I'm sure Maya didn't mean it when she called you a tramp." Actually, I was pretty much certain she did. Apparently she was the jealous type. But some part of me just wanted desperately to make her feel better about it.

Her expression softened a bit. "She seemed pretty sure about it then..."

"No, no..." I started to lie. "She just... well, she gets angry, and she says things she doesn't mean." I patted her on the shoulder. "Besides, Angela, you being a tramp would be like having an agoraphobic daredevil."

"...What?"

"See, agoraphobia is the intense fear of being in a situation that's difficult to get out of... what I'm trying to say is that you're the opposite of a tramp. You're afraid of being one."

She smiled. "Thanks. Um..."

"Yes?"

"I was just going to say that I should be going... Dr. Jin needs to get a good look at your foot, and everything..."

"Oh, yeah. Bye, then."

"Bye," she said timidly as she walked toward the door. "And get better."

"I'll try," I said, a little too late. She'd already shut the door. Seconds later, Dr. Jin walked in. "Now, your toe is broken," he said. No nonsense guy, Dr. Jin was. "So we're giving you the boot."

"The boot? You're just going to kick me out of here?" I said, confused.

"No, no," he said, squatting to look in a lower cabinet and pulling out a plastic foam-lined boot. "This boot. It prevents unnecessary pressure on your toes, which is usually caused by walking, with this curved front end."

"...Oh."

"But first, we've got to replace the splint. The one you had on was a temporary one; this one, you'll leave on until your toe heals." I looked at him quizzically. "It's waterproof, don't worry." He started carefully moving my toe into the splint. "So... pardon me if I'm being a nose, but that girl who came in here... that wasn't your Maya, was it?"

"Her? No... that's my friend Angela."

"Hm. She looked guilty. Did she break your toe?"

I put on a little smile, if only to keep from breaking down. "No, no... she gave me the temporary splint, actually."

He finished with the splint and started putting the boot on my foot. "Then why did she look so guilty?"

"It's, uh... it's a long story," I said, looking away from Dr. Jin.

"Well, why isn't your Maya here to visit you?"

"We kind of had a fight..." I admitted.

"Oh? What about?"

"That's not really your business, is it?"

"No, no it isn't. I'm very sorry. Irene keeps telling me I'm not warm enough with my patients; I was just trying to make small talk. Anyway, the boot's on. You're free to go."

"Thank you, Dr. Jin."

"You're welcome. Be safe," he said.

"I will," I said on my way out the door. I looked at my watch. My shift started up again in an hour. I didn't enough time to go home and come back, especially with my walking speed slowed by the boot, so I went ahead and headed toward the inn.

As I opened the door, I saw Maya sitting at a table, fidgeting with her hands. "Chase!" she said, standing up quickly enough to knock down the chair behind her. She ran toward me and threw herself at me. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm a terrible fiancée! I never should've yelled at you! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Well now that that was settled... I pushed her off of me. "You don't need to apologize to me."

"Yes I do! I'm so sorry!" she cried hysterically and wrapped her arms around me again.

"No, Maya, get off me!" I pushed her away a second time. "What I meant was, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She cocked her head and gave me a confused look. "Angela heard you call her a cheap tramp. I think you should apologize to her."

"No," Maya recited like a child whose first and only word was 'no'.

"What?"

"I'm not going to apologize to that woodsy little wench." She even tried to sound cute in defiance. "I meant everything I said."

"Maya! Angela would never do something like that! You know, she didn't even want to go walking with me at first!" Maya gave me the same confused look. "I wanted to go walking with her!"

"How come you took _her_ out on a walk instead of me?!" she shouted.

"Because I don't _want_ to spent time with you! You're a bratty, bossy, childish, possessive_ chore _of a woman!" Whoa. I was getting pretty good at telling the truth.

"Why would you say that to me, Chase?!" she cried. Tears spilled down her face.

"Because it's true!" I yelled. "And if she were in your shoes and you were in hers, you could bet money she'd understand!"

"Well then," Maya stood up straight from her slump and then leaned in close to my face. "Why isn't she in my shoes?"

"Because you were here first!" I blurted. And no guilt followed. I didn't feel sorry for lying, because I wasn't, and more importantly, I didn't even care if I was ruining my marriage. I didn't want to marry her; I didn't love her. I had no feelings for her at all. Why not go for broke? "And you know what? I don't even like you! And I sure as hell don't love you. I just accepted your proposal because I felt sorry for you. So, here, you see this?" I took the Blue Feather she'd used to propose to me from my pocket.

"N--" she started to interrupt.

I slammed the feather onto the nearest table, took the knife out of the silverware napkin, and proceeded to chop the stem of the feather like a green onion. "That's what I think of spending eternity with you." I picked up the bits of feather and blew them at Maya, feeling rather proud of myself. I finally said it. Everything I'd been fighting back thinking just fell right out of my mouth. And it felt fantastic.

Maya's eyes were pouring out tears like a fountain. "B-b-but... I love you, Chase... h-how could you do this to me..."

Oh... maybe I'd gone a bit too far. I'm such a hypocrite; I got so bent out of shape when Maya may have hurt Angela's feelings, then I crushed Maya like a peppercorn. But I didn't want to marry her, and if I apologized, she'd think everything was fine and tomorrow we'd be all happy-coupley again. "I'm an inconsiderate, hypocritical jerk, that's how," I said coldly. "I'm sorry about the feather, but not anything I said. The wedding's off."

Maya took off running, sobbing uncontrollably. I leaned one hand on the table and stared at the spot she'd just run from. I felt bad, I did. I convinced myself that I'd done the right thing by imagining being married to her...

"YOU! This is all YOUR fault!" I heard Maya screech, followed by the loud sound of a slap and stomping up the stairs. I looked around. Where the stairs bent stood Angela, a reddish mark on her shocked face.

"Angela..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

I heard the yelling, so why in heck did I go downstairs? Maybe the red mark that painted my face was for good cause. Maybe I should've just listened to the more rational side of me. I should've kept my mouth shut. I had interfered with _her _property. And when I thought about it, I'd probably do the same thing and react just as Maya did if I had been in her place. It wasn't fair to be mad at her for hating me for stealing her fiancé. That is, if I had done that…

Chase had shuffled quickly over to the base of the stairs, where I stood solid as a rock. He immediately hugged me and said several things in a soft, soothing tone that were indecipherable to me. I could feel my arms around him, and I even began to feel hot drops of water drip down my face… But I couldn't understand what he was saying because… Because I _was _a cheap tramp. Chase and Maya could've worked through their differences if only I had stayed out of the picture like the nice girl I should've been, maybe.

"Chase…" he loosened his grip to face me as I continued, "I'm sorry… for all the mess I've caused between you and Maya…"

"What mess did you cause? The train wreck that was our relationship was already a complete ruin… " he started.

I interrupted him, "No… I ruined any chance you two had at being a happy couple. That's what I did. What Maya said about me is true."

He objected, "No, that's not it…"

Once again, my mouth opened to interrupt as I walked out of his embrace, "Yes, it is."

Without giving him a chance to respond, I quickly began my ascent up the stairs, making quick and precise steps. Somehow I was able to hold my composure… Up until the second my room door was shut and locked. Almost immediately tears began to fall from my eyes and I slid down to the floor, my back against the door. Releasing audible cries every now and then, I reached for a pillow to conceal the crying. How could this have happened? Only a few days and here I was, falling apart. It made me wish I had never met Chase… almost. For once in my life, I had met a guy that seemed like a really genuine and good person… and he was engaged. And the drama that came along with my feelings that were perhaps one sided? It was a pain equal in caliber to being stabbed through the heart multiple times. To make matters worse, I also had to deal with his jealous fiancé. Why did I have this horrible flaw of messing every good thing up? My mother had given me this chance, and I had went and ruined it in a matter of days by boarding the mother of all emotional roller coasters.

Before long, I could hear a gentle knock at the door. I quickly wiped my eyes and brushed off my clothes. Opening the door, I recognized the visitor's face as Kathy's. She looked a bit upset by something. She managed a smile as I greeted her, my voice still quivering.

"You okay?" she simply asked.

"I'm fine… just a little upset is all…" I sighed, showing her to a chair (the only chair) to sit in.

She politely refused and told me to take the chair, "I just thought I'd come and see if you were okay… We could hear you downstairs."

I blushed, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, you had reason to be upset… And just so you know, Chase isn't mad at you or anything… In fact, he's fuming, but at Maya. She came down a little while ago when you were crying and tried to smooth things over with Chase… Let's just say he let her have it, and apparently for the second time! And that we're lucky there were no young children in the room when he told her off…" Kathy's eyes widened, as if she were replaying the event in her head.

"That's the second time he's gone off on her today… I almost feel bad for her…" I said.

"Are you kidding? Maya is nothing but a spoiled brat, and Chase is the only one who can put her in her place. I guess this means you and Chase can become close now…?" Kathy implied that Chase and I were a meant-to-be item.

I could feel a wave of shock run through my body, "What are you talking about? Chase and I are friends! That's all… Really." But really, I was just embarrassed that I had been that obvious that I liked Chase.

Kathy leered suspiciously, "Whatever you say… But I'm usually a pretty good judge of these things…" she glanced at her watch, "I've got to get back to work. If you need me, just holler."

She let herself out, as I thought over our conversation. Apparently Chase and Maya were without a doubt done and I had managed to make my feelings for Chase obvious. What a way to begin in a new town. I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. I pushed my hair out of my fair and wiped my eyes once more. Finally, I unlocked the door and set out for the lobby.

Once in the lobby, I noticed it had mostly emptied out. Yolanda was cooking instead of Chase, for some odd reason. Maya was waitressing. I wanted to set things straight with her. The last thing I needed in a new town was a bunch of enemies. As I headed over to her, she took off for the kitchen, Kathy stopped her.

"Maya… I wanted to say something to you…" I called out.

"You've said quite enough, Angela. I don't want to hear anymore," she said, again attempting to make it past Kathy's impenetrable block.

"Just listen… I'm sorry about what happened between you and Chase. But I'm not sorry for something I never did. Chase never cheated on you, and I never attempted to make him cheat on you. I think it would be nice if we could at least call a truce, whether we actually become friends or not," I offered.

She laughed, "Yeah right… Angela, you _know_ you wanted to steal Chase from me…"

Kathy gave Maya one of those 'go to heck' looks as I said, "Will you stop acting like you're five?"

"What do you mean? You're the one acting like a fickle schoolgirl!" Maya halfway yelled.

"Stop saying that I wanted to steal Chase from you! I would never do that to someone… not even one of my worst enemies…" I defended.

"So you're saying you don't like him?" she asked, almost in disbelief.

"I'm not a liar… so I'll tell you… Yes, I had a bit of a crush on him, but…" she interrupted me midsentence.

"See? You liked him. You liked him and you wanted him. Just get out of my face Angela," I could see tears beading up in Maya's eyes.

"Fine. But don't say that I didn't try…" I walked out the doors of the Inn, remaining somewhat emotionless to what had just happened. As I exited, I head a familiar voice.

"Angela?"


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Marley here. Sorry for the crazy-long wait for Chapter 9; it was my fault. thatgirlwhohasn'tgotanickname had a chapter ready weeks ago, and I, princess Bossy-Pants, sent it back 'cause it didn't meet my staaaaandaaaards or whatever. (Why yes, I am a fan of self-deprecating humor.)  
Oh, and sorry for the wait for this one, too; between schoolwork and... well, other me-stuff, it's been difficult to get myself into the writing mood.

I'd also like to thank all the kind reviewers, especially those who like our portrayal of Chase. I've really tried not to let him fall into bitter-guy-hates-everything-and-tells-everyone-within-earshot territory, and I'm sure my co-writer has been doing the same.  
On with the show.

Chapter Ten:  
That Maya. That stupid, juvenile brat. How many times, and how forcefully, would I have to tell her no? The sound of my one sandal snapping angrily against the cobblestone pavement echoed off the walls of town. It wasn't until the echoes stopped that I got the feeling I'd left something behind. I paused for a minute, padding the pockets in my apron. My keys. Damn. I'd left my house keys in the room key bowl. Why did I put them there in the first place...? My frazzled mind couldn't find my own reasoning. I'd have to go back and ruin my dramatic exit. What a shame.

I hoped to procrastinate my return; the longer I was gone, the more dramatic my exit seemed. The sound of my uneven footsteps slowed; they seemed an ambient noise, altogether detached from my own being. The breeze hit my face as though I were walking forward, and the landscapes of the Maple Lake District seemed to scroll by beside me. When my footsteps began to echo again, I heard shouting from the inside of the inn.

"See, you liked him! You liked him and you wanted him!" That piercing shriek was still unmistakeable. I began to wonder if that voice would ever leave my mind... a seemingly permanent reminder of the heartbreak I'd caused. Could I really be blamed for look—

Wait, what?! "Just get out of my face, Angela!"

Footsteps echoed through town, and wordless voices rang from the square. They did not belong to people. They did not belong to animals. There were only footsteps, voices, and I, wrecker of my own home.

A green form slinked out of the bar. An almost scrawny green form, with blue shorts and brown hair and a pretty face. "Angela..."

She jumped; her brown eyes slammed open. "Ah! Um, I-- hi..." she babbled. I could almost see her frightened, startled trembling.

"Um..." Were you talking about me? Did you mean what you said? Hundreds of questions crossed my mind, but not one managed to fall through my teeth.

"Yeah, I'd love to stay and chat," she panicked, "but I've got to go water my sheep -- iron my dog -- the oven! I left the oven on at home, yeah, that's it." She'd already took off down the path to the housing district.

"But... you live at the inn!" She kept walking. "Angela!" I called after her. She started running. What had I done to her? Everything I'd done, I'd done to Maya. Maya and myself...

I started to walk after her. My brain dictated that I go back to the inn and apologize to Maya, right the wrongs I'd set and fix the universe, or at least my little microcosm. My insolent feet wouldn't listen; they only carried me to the housing district. Past Maple Lake and into the mine district, around the curve and to the Praline Woods, where Angela slumped against a small tree. She scooted so that she was on the other side of the tree from where I was standing. I went around the tree to face her. She turned further. "Angela... isn't this a little childish?" She didn't answer me. "Angela...?"

She still wouldn't face me. "Did you hear Maya shouting at me at the inn?"

"Uh... no..." I lied. I immediately felt as though my conscience had punched me in the chest. "Well, a bit..." I squatted down to her level; she still wouldn't turn around. "Was it true?"

"Uh... no... well, a bit..." she mimicked my lie. "I..." Her voice started to crack. "I never wanted anyone to know..." Angela paused; a few quiet sniffles managed to cut the ambient wind. "I thought..."

She stopped. "You thought what?" I quietly coaxed.

"I thought you'd all hate me!" She sounded hysterical, and the small, quiet sniffles had turned into what sounded like the post-nasal drip of a young elephant.

I reached into my pocket and handed her the napkin from which I'd removed the knife that sliced the ties between Maya and me. "That's ridiculous," I told her. I winced. Probably not the most comforting way to talk to a girl having a meltdown.

"Why?" I could hear her trembling. "Why is that ridiculous? I'm a slimy, no-good, homewrecking slut!" she yelled. "You and Maya would have no reason to like me, none at all. You'd never talk to me again, neither of you. I'd be better off just going back home and pretending the past few days had never happened!"

It dawned on me that nothing I could possibly say would be the right thing to say, and anything that did come out of my mouth, including silence, would be heard as, 'Yes, you're right. We all hate you, and we think you should butt the hell out of our lives.'

Unless...

"You know, you can't help who you love."

Angela blew her nose, sounding a honking fanfare fit to summon the highest peasant in all of London. "Hm?" she squeaked.

"It's sorta like... like smelling a dish that you immediately know you have to try. You don't know exactly why you like it. You didn't choose to have it on the table when you walked into the room. You especially didn't choose to love the smell of parsley. But you do, and it just murders you inside when some other lady digs her fork into that dish." I paused; I could hear her steady sniffles in the silence. "But... with love, you can't just tell the waitress you'll have what he's having... your only choices are to take her food right out from under her nose, or go your whole life thinking, 'I should've stolen that lady's food.'" God, this metaphor is stupid, I thought to myself. But I could carry it on. "And food... food doesn't care who gets to eat it. Food doesn't have feelings." I gulped. I'd never had to talk about my feelings before; I just assumed people understood, and that if they didn't, they'd figure it out eventually. "But I do. Maybe I don't act like it all the time... but I do care. When it was just Maya, I thought I didn't. I mean... she was a girl, she was there, she liked me... I thought that was all there was to it. Then... well, you moved in... and it was like... that all changed. After I met you... it's not that I wouldn't say that I loved Maya... it's that I couldn't. And, well... I'm lucky I wasn't married with a kid when I finally figured it out."

"What are you trying to say?" she interjected.

I'd been hoping to avoid the actual words, but there just wasn't any use anymore. "I love you, Angela," I whispered. "I'm sure of it."


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys! Thanks for all the kind reviews, favorites, and subscriptions! Marley and I have really worked hard to make this a quality fanfic where the characters and plot have substance to them. And as for the long update wait... Heh... That was my fault. Not Marley's. I got all caught up with school and life and stuff (don't we all?). But here's Chapter Eleven. Hopefully you think it was worth the wait. ;D

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Chapter Eleven

He what?

How in the world could he _love_ me? It was absolutely ridiculous! It was only a few days that he had actually known me. No, wait. He didn't even _know_ me truly. We had only shared a few stories and talked several times. Not to mention we both destroyed his engagement. But that wasn't enough for him to be sure of loving me. It was possible that he felt _attracted_ to me, sure. _I_ felt attracted to _him_. It might even be pity. He might have pitied me for making such a fool out of myself. Maybe Chase actually really wanted to be with someone now that he no longer had Maya, not very logical, but possible. But… _love_? I wasn't so sure just yet. He had just gotten through telling me just hours ago he didn't even believe in soul mates because it wasn't logical. So, now he was the newly renowned Casanova? I couldn't believe it for a second. Despite how much I thought of him for standing up for me… and how I had been crushing on him since day one… I couldn't say that, beyond a shadow of doubt, I _loved_ him. No matter how many nice cooking metaphors he could come up with on the spot. I wasn't falling that easily.

"Chase… You don't _love_ me," I corrected, "Maybe you pity me or you're attracted to me, but I'm pretty sure neither one of us are sure about love."

"But I thought you were the one who believed in soul mates? 'The One'? And _you're_ telling _me_ I don't love you?" his tone was dubious.

"I never said that! And I thought you said it was 'statistically unsound'!" I yelled.

His voice caught. I had actually pegged Chase. "Angela, I just made a fool out of myself saying a bunch of gushy things that I don't normally say. In fact, I _never_ say them. I never had to. Before Maya, there was no one. And with Maya, all I had to do was keep cooking and she was as easy to please as a dog with dinner scraps. So now you're trying to say the past few days are nothing to you?"

With any other guy, I would've simply walked away. Saved my breath. Convinced myself he wasn't worth it. But this one was. Chase was worth every bit of breath I could use trying to get him to understand. If only he'd listen. Of course I felt a spark, many sparks actually, when I spent time with him. Of course my heart felt like it was palpitating when I was near him. Of course I felt like he was "The One". But I just wasn't sure. We had only met almost three days ago. Of course, I remembered stories of many a couple who married after only dating a month or two and they stayed together for the rest of their lives. But my mother always told me, "Don't give a boy your heart until you're sure it's right. Not think, not feel… but _know_." And I just couldn't know that right now.

"I poured my heart out to you! Does that mean nothing, too?" he continued yelling as I sat, deep in thought.

"You don't understand… I really, really like you. A lot. More than I should after this short amount of time," I took a deep breath, "I guess I'm an old-fashioned girl. I want to date, have romance, go steady… And we really just haven't had that these past few days. How could we possibly be in love without… without really and truly knowing each other?"

"You do know that "old-fashioned girls" typically got married after dating only a couple months, right?" he remarked, his temper not as present in his voice, though.

"Chase!" I scolded.

"I know, I know…" he laughed, "God, I know how to make such a jackass out of myself sometimes…"

"Sometimes?" I retorted, joking.

"I just… It's silly, but… For some reason, I thought that telling you that I loved you would make every bad thing that happened today okay. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. And I… I'm not very good with 'moments'. I usually ruin them. Case in point: this whole conversation," he rubbed the back of his head.

"If life were a fairy tale, that would've worked," I pointed out.

"If life were a fairy tale, this whole mess wouldn't have happened. I would've slew the dragon a long time ago and saved you with a kiss. And not too long after that, your fath…–mother would be begging me to marry you," he said, a twinge of sarcasm present.

"And then we would all live happily ever after," I scoffed.

"Exactly."

"But that doesn't ever work," I said.

"Of course, I know."

There was a pause between the two of us. Absolute silence. Things began to grow awkward.

"I've got an idea. How about we start fresh? Like this whole ugly episode with Maya never happened?" he announced, shattering the silence.

"I think that sounds perfect. The name's Angela, nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Mine's Chase."

For once I actually thought everything was just going to be all right. Of course there were still certain things we needed to work through, such as Maya. And making things with her less awkward. But for the most part, I was finally happy. I no longer felt I was a home wrecking slut, and those once forbidden feelings about Chase were admittedly reciprocated. Finally, I belonged somewhere. Maybe I didn't have a full fledged, going-steady type boyfriend yet, but I was happy just sitting there talking with Chase. Happy to know that he felt something for me, too. Something that, with time and patience, might just turn into exactly what I had been looking for for quite a while.

Love, perhaps?


End file.
